Shinkenger Girls Talk
by ValarPrime98
Summary: Kaoru talks to Mako & Kotoha after the battle against Doukoku, and bonds with them. Semi-canon Act 49. Lots of fluff!


Shiba Kaoru looked wistfully at her surroundings in the Shiba household. It had been two days since the Shinkengers had defeated Doukoku for good, and they were getting ready to leave within the next two days. It was a bittersweet experience for Kaoru. She was indeed glad that the Shinkengers had defeated Doukoku and fulfilled her father's legacy. But she regretted that she herself had not been able to do so as Shinken Red, despite the fact that she had played a pivotal role by providing the two Fire Mojikara discs. And also, this was her household, the household her parents had lived in, and she felt a wistful sense of melancholy as she prepared to leave. Not to mention the fact that she was as lonely as ever.

She would never admit this to anyone, but she envied the bond that her adopted son, Takeru, shared with his retainers. Nay, not his retainers. They were more his friends, his family than mere vassals to a lord. Takeru may not have been the head of the Shiba clan by blood, but he had proven himself to be more than just an extremely capable lord. He had really cared for his samurai. Even though Kaoru had won the other Shinkengers over, she simply didn't have the same bonds with them as they did with Takeru.

Voices broke her out of her train of thoughts when she found two girls chatting with each other in the hallway. She recognised one of them as Shinken Pink; Shiraishi Mako was her name, if she remembered correctly. The other one was Shinken Yellow; she remembered her name was Hanaori Kotoha. They did not seem to have noticed her presence. Mustering up her courage she walked up to them. They started, and their eyes widened in surprise when they saw her.

"Hime-sama!" They exclaimed as they quickly dropped to their knees and bowed. It hurt Kaoru slightly that they did so, even though she knew that they were only doing it out of duty.

"Please rise. No need to be so formal." She said.

The two girls rose to their feet, staring quizzically at her.

"You're Shiraishi Mako & Hanaori Kotoha, right?" Mako and Kotoha nodded, not sure where this was going.

"How are you two? Have you recovered from the battle against Doukoku?" She asked, trying her best to smile warmly at them. Fortunately, she succeeded, because the tension eased around the girls.

"Oh! Yes, we have, Hime-sama, thank you for your concern." Mako said earnestly, smiling back at her. She could tell that Kaoru was a lot like Takeru, her love interest. Stoic & uncaring on the outside, but on the inside, very kind and loving.

"How about you, Hime-sama? Have your wounds healed already?" Kotoha asked, smiling innocently at Kaoru. Kaoru had always liked her; whilst undoubtedly loyal to Takeru, she was also most receptive to Kaoru's new leadership, and was the one who had attempted to make the most conversation with her.

"Yes, I've almost recovered, thanks to the Kuroku." She smiled.

"That's great! Thank goodness." Kotoha said.

An awkward silence befell the trio, before Kaoru spoke up softly. "Um, if you two don't mind, could I talk to you in private?"

The two girls exchanged a surprised look, before Mako said, "Um, sure, Hime-sama."

The two girls followed Kaoru to her private quarters, closing the door behind them. As they sat down, Kaoru heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Tanba is away for the moment, otherwise I would have to whack him again."

Mako & Kotoha both giggled, before falling silent. "So, what did want to see us for, Hime-sama?"

"Well…" Kaoru swallowed heavily, before taking a deep breath and said, "I just want to get to know the two of you better."

Mako's jaw dropped as she shared a surprised look with Kotoha. Kaoru cleared her throat. "I know I'm not Takeru, and I know I can never replace him, but I really do want to get to know you guys better…"

To her surprise, Mako and Kotoha both laughed, their eyes shining. Kaoru stared at them, puzzled. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing, Hime-sama. It's just…" Kotoha said.

"You're a lot like Takeru." Mako finished kindly. "And it's alright. We would also like to get to know you better, Hime-sama."

"Really?!" Kaoru said, her heart bursting with joy. "That's…that's wonderful. Thank you."

Mako cleared her throat. "I'm Shiraishi Mako, and I was from…" Mako told Kaoru about her family background and the exploits & battles she had with her team. The same went for Kotoha.

"That's everything about our family & ourselves. Now, for yourself, Hime-sama!" Kotoha beamed at Kaoru. Mako also gave an encouraging smile.

"Well…" Kaoru tried to think of how she could best describe her life. Deep down, she feared that she would be judged by the two of them for how boring & mundane her life was compared to them.

"I had a very sheltered life, to be honest. My life revolved around the propriety required to be a princess, to be the head of the Shiba clan. Everything from lessons on the Shiba family history, sword practice, practising the sealing character & my Fire Mojikara…I never really saw the world outside, though I did hear much about it, thanks to the Kuroku. But Tanba was so overprotective, he never once let me venture outside." Sadly, Kaoru bowed her head.

Mako and Kotoha exchanged looks of sympathy.

Kaoru lifted her head. "But…Tanba merely wanted what was best for me, after all. My greatest regret, though, was coming back and causing so much trouble for you all."

"Huh? Hime-sama, what do you mean?" Kotoha asked.

"When I had mastered the sealing character, I wanted to come back to take over as head of the Shiba family. But I never would've thought it caused you all to be divided over me & Takeru. I never considered that Takeru could've bonded with you all so deeply." Kaoru sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. Mako & Kotoha gaped at her; the stoic, expressionless princess was actually crying.

"All my life I've actually wondered what my shadow was like. And I'm glad Takeru wasn't as anachronistic as me. But…I knew that he would be just as lonely as me. Even with a Tanba or Kusakabe there. I never thought, though, that he would actually form a bond with you all. It showed me how wrong I was. Protecting the Shiba clan all by myself, trying to defeat Doukoku using the sealing character all by myself… it was all wrong." She bit her lip, unable to continue.

"Hime-sama…" Mako began.

"I'm sorry." Kaoru said, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm sorry for all the suffering & turmoil I put you guys through. Could you…would you forgive me?"

The two girls gaped at her for a while, before Kotoha came forward and grasped her hands. "Hime-sama, you have nothing to apologise for. It wasn't your fault, you didn't know."

"Also, Hime-sama…" Mako said, placing her hands on Kaoru's hands as well. "You've always been so kind & understanding toward us. You never asked us to abandon Takeru, but always patiently fought with us and defended us whenever Tanba insulted us. We should be thanking you instead."

"You guys…" Kaoru looked from Mako to Kotoha in disbelief, her heart filled with abounding joy & happiness. A tear slid down her cheek. "Thank you, Mako, Kotoha."

Kotoha & Mako smiled reassuringly at her. "You may not be the same as Lord-sama, Hime-sama, but we will also gladly fight with you & protect you in battle."

Kaoru gave a watery laugh. "Thank you, thank you, both of you. I know this may be a bit too much to ask, but…could we be friends?"

"Really?! Absolutely, Hime-sama!" Kotoha exclaimed happily.

"We'd be happy to, Hime-sama." Mako agreed.

The three women smiled & laughed together, their hands intertwined, basking in the sheer delight of this new friendship. Kaoru turned to Mako.

"Mako…can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"You like Takeru, don't you?"

Mako blushed heavily. "I…I…"

Kaoru smiled. "I've seen the way you act around him. Also the fact that you call him Takeru rather than Lord."

Mako sighed. "You're right, Hime-sama, I do like Takeru. No, I love him."

"Do you?"

"Yes." Mako said with absolute certainty. "I love him for who he is… I can't honestly say that I love him to the point whereby I would want to spend the rest of my life with him. But I would gladly die for him in battle, and being with him always makes me very very happy. Hime-sama…I hope you don't mind?"

"Oh, not at all." Kaoru smiled reassuringly. "I approve, I think it would do him a lot of good to have someone like you to confide in. He needs someone who understands him and cares for him like you do. And please, call me Kaoru."

"Thank you so much, Kaoru-sama." Mako said, smiling shyly.

"He likes you too. He may not even know it himself, but I can tell. He cares for you… in a special way that's different from the way he cares for others." Kaoru placed her hand on Mako's shoulder. "Don't lose hope. He'll come around. If I have to knock him on the head like I do with Tanba, then I will."

Mako & Kotoha laughed at the mental image of the diminutive Kaoru reaching up to smack her six-foot tall adopted son on his head with her paper fan.

"Thank you so much, Kaoru-sama. I won't forget this." Mako said gratefully.

"Hime-sama, you say you haven't seen the outside world. Perhaps, one of these days, you could come with Mako-chan and I to see it? We'll bring you around to try all the food and all the beautiful clothes."

"I would love that, Kotoha. Thank you."

The three girls continued talking and chatting happily through the day. Each of them were indescribably grateful and happy to have been part of a new, beautiful friendship. Especially Kaoru.

**Author's Note: I honestly felt that Kaoru should have gotten more care & love from the other Shinkengers. It's honestly not her fault that the Shinkengers were miserable over Takeru's departure, and she honestly, IMO, was really nice & understanding to them. **


End file.
